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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

U.S. Considers Sanctioning Israeli Military, Police Units for Alleged Human Rights Violations

Times of Israel: Washington is considering sanctions against other Israeli military and police units alleged to have committed human rights violations against Palestinians in addition to the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which the Biden administration is slated to designate this week. The State Department probed Netzah Yehuda and several of the other units in the Israeli security forces for well over a year due to alleged human rights violations. In the case of Netzah Yehuda, the IDF in December 2022 decided to move the infantry unit largely comprised of ultra-Orthodox nationalists out of the West Bank so they would no longer be in contact with Palestinians. But no steps were taken to hold specific soldiers accountable for the repeated incidents of misconduct against Palestinians that ran rampant in Netzah Yehuda, a US official said, explaining the unprecedented decision to move ahead with sanctioning an Israeli military unit (Times of Israel). Benjamin Natanyahu: Sanctions must not be imposed on the Israel Defense Forces! At a time when our soldiers are fighting the monsters of terror, the intention to impose a sanction on a unit in the IDF is the height of absurdity and a moral low. The government headed by me will act by all means against these moves (X).

Israel’s Head Military Intelligence Official Resigns for October 7 Failure

Times of Israel: Israel’s top military intelligence official announced his resignation on Monday over his role in the failures that led to the Hamas terror group’s October 7 onslaught. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, chief of the Israel Defense Forces’s Military Intelligence Directorate, will step down from the military once a replacement is appointed, the IDF said. The move was coordinated with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and approved by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The onslaught claimed the lives of some 1,200 people in Israel, with another 253 people kidnapped and much of the area devastated. Most victims were civilians (Times of Israel). Washington Post: Military leaders in March launched a preliminary review of the army’s performance on Oct. 7, which left some towns fighting on their own for hours. And experts say they expect there eventually to be a formal, independent investigation of all aspects of the crisis along the lines of the 9/11 Commission in the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But those efforts have been largely deferred as Israel continues to fight Hamas in Gaza and fend off missile attacks from Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon (Washington Post).

Columbia University Temporarily Switches to Remote Learning Amid Antisemitic Protests

National Review: Columbia University president Minouche Shafik condemned the “intimidating and harassing behavior” that has occurred on the New York City campus over the past several days and announced that classes would be held remotely on Monday. “Antisemitic language, like any other language that is used to hurt and frighten people, is unacceptable and appropriate action will be taken,” Shafik said in a statement. She further suggested that “tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas.” Shafik added that, over the coming days, deans and administrators will convene to resolve the “crisis” on campus and will continue “discussions with the student protesters and identifying actions we can take as a community” to enable a peaceful semester and a return to respectful conduct (National Review). Washington Post: President Biden condemned antisemitism on college campuses in a statement. Biden’s statement from the White House didn’t name Columbia or Yale directly but cited “harassment and calls for violence against Jews” in recent days. “This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous — and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country,” the statement said (Washington Post).

Trump Leads Biden in Several Major Categories Just Over Six Months From the Election

Daily Wire: President Joe Biden is suffering “erosion” on a number of “critical fronts” in polling that pits him against former President Donald Trump, National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki said. During an appearance on “Meet The Press,” Kornacki used an interactive screen to discuss with host Kristen Welker NBC’s survey in April, which showed Trump performing better than Biden across several categories with a little more than half a year until the November presidential election. Kornacki said these findings are “troubling” for the Biden campaign, as they show “the erosion of public confidence on a number of critical fronts” (Daily Wire). RNC Research: NBC POLL: WHICH CANDIDATE IS BETTER? Handling a crisis: Trump +4, Strong record as president: Trump +7, Competent and effective: Trump +9, Necessary mental and physical health: Trump +19, Dealing with inflation and cost of living: Trump +22 (X).

Biden Announces Withdrawal From Niger

Just the News: Nearly three years after the heavily criticized U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration is facing another security crisis involving U.S. troops, only this time, it is unfolding in Africa under the growing influence of Russia, Iran and China. The Biden administration on Friday announced it would withdraw more than 1,000 U.S. military personnel from Niger over the coming months in a move that is expected to disrupt regional counterterrorism operations. The decision came the same week that Russian paramilitary officials arrived in the country and a whistleblower report was released detailing the dire conditions facing the U.S. troops. Many of the American service members in Niger are stationed at U.S. Air Base 201, which is less than a decade old and is valued at $110 million. Since the junta, which saw the ousting of Niger’s democratically-elected President Mohamed Bazoum, troops there have mostly focused on flying surveillance drones on missions to protect the base. In 2022, the most recent year for which the U.S. State Department has published a terrorism report for Niger, the country saw at least 180 terrorist attacks. The administration’s announcement about the withdrawal came two days after Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz announced on the House floor that his office composed an interim whistleblower report about what he called a “cover-up” that “exists to conceal the humiliating failures of the Biden administration in Niger, throughout Africa and throughout the world.” He said that the Biden administration left 1,100 U.S. troops “functionally stranded” in Niger, where they have been “pleading for help,” as they have been unable to receive potable water, medical care and other basic supplies. However, the U.S. Embassy in Niger has been blocking reports about the dire conditions, Gaetz also said (Just the News).

California Attempts to Sink Citizen Initiative Mandating Schools Inform Parents of a Child’s Preferred Identity

Los Angeles Times: Supporters of a proposed November ballot initiative wanted the all-important title of their measure to reflect their beliefs, a name like “Protect Kids of California Act.” But Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta saw things differently when his office chose the name signature gatherers must use: “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth.” With a May 28 deadline to submit signatures — and 25% of the way to the goal — initiative backers must use the state’s description, which they say is hindering their effort. They have sued the state, claiming the initiative was “branded with a misleading, false, and prejudicial title” A hearing is set for April 19 (Los Angeles Times). Albert Mohler: What’s going on here? This is a proposed citizen initiative in the state of California that isn’t radical at all. It would simply say that if you have a child in the public schools, who identifies as and is identified as a transgender identity, or, for that matter, a non-binary identity, if the child is presenting a different identity at school than at home, the parents need to be informed. You’ll notice that the California state authorities, the California education authorities, in terms of the public schools, don’t want that to happen (Briefing).

Biden Uses Earth Day to Announce $7 Billion in Federal Grants to Assist in Solar Projects

Associated Press: President Joe Biden is marking Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving 900,000-plus households in low- and middle-income communities. He also plans to expand his New Deal-style American Climate Corps green jobs training program. The grants are being awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency, which unveiled the 60 recipients on Monday. The projects are expected to eventually reduce emissions by the equivalent of 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and save households $350 million annually, according to senior administration officials. Biden’s latest environmental announcements come as he is working to energize young voters for his reelection campaign (Associated Press). NBC: Biden used executive action last year to create the American Climate Corps modeled on Roosevelt’s New Deal. He is announcing Monday that nearly 2,000 corps positions are being offered across 36 states, including jobs offered in partnership with the North American Building Trades Unions. Biden has often used Earth Day as a backdrop to further his administration’s climate initiatives (NBC).

American, Philippine Soldiers Hold Joint Military Exercises in South China Sea

ABC: American and Filipino forces launched their largest combat exercises in years Monday in a show of allied firepower near the disputed South China Sea that has alarmed Beijing. The annual exercises by the longtime treaty allies will run until May 10 and involve more than 16,000 of their military personnel, along with more than 250 French and Australian forces. While the Philippine military maintains that the Balikatan trainings are not directed at a particular country, some of their main conflict scenarios are set in or near the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese and Philippine coast guard and accompanying ships have figured in a series of increasingly tense territorial faceoffs since last year. In encounters in disputed areas, Chinese coast guard vessels have resorted to water cannons, blocking and other dangerous maneuvers that have caused injuries to Philippine navy personnel and damaged supply boats (ABC). CNN: It’s the first-ever deployment of the MRC missile system, also known as the Typhon system, to the Indo-Pacific theater. The US Army has not said how long the Typhon system will remain in the Philippines, but its involvement in the series of joint exercises between the two treaty allies, the first of which began on April 8, sends a signal the US can put offensive weaponry well within striking distance of Chinese installations in the South China Sea, the southern Chinese mainland and along the Taiwan Strait. According to Beijing its presence in the region increases the risks of “misjudgment and miscalculation.” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian accused the US of seeking a “unilateral military advantage,” and underscored Beijing’s strong opposition to the deployment. “We urge the US to earnestly respect other countries’ security concerns, stop stoking military confrontation, stop undermining peace and stability in the region, and take concrete actions to reduce strategic risks,” Lin said (CNN).

Home Depot in New York Hires Security to Protect Customers From an Increasing Number of Migrants, Thieves

New York Post: A New York Home Depot has deployed a guard dog — and other stores may be close behind — to protect shoppers from aggressive migrants and thieves flooding their parking lots. Two men wearing MSA Security caps and bulletproof vests with a German Shepherd in tow patrolled the Home Depot in New Rochelle on Tuesday. The guard said the store hired them for a number of reasons. “It’s not just because of migrants, but because of a myriad of other things too, like people breaking into cars, that kind of stuff,” he said. The guarded New Rochelle lot was quiet and no migrants loitered there when The Post visited this week, however, seven miles away in Throggs Neck, The Bronx, at least 30 male migrants hovered at the doors of Home Depot. But many others aggressively confronted shoppers, trying to sell them phony Apple Airpods or soliciting tips for lifting items from shopping carts into cars — even when uninvited (New York Post). Townhall: Home Depot said that loitering and soliciting are illegal at its stores, but would not specify what measures would be taken to stop it. “While we can’t go into specifics about our security measures,” the company said, “it’s not unusual for us to use third-party security at various stores across the country” (Townhall).

10.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization Plans to Disrupt DNC Convention in August

Free Press: “Have you heard that the Democratic National Convention is coming to Chicago?” Joe Iosbaker asks the crowd. “Are we going to let ’em come here without a protest? This is Chicago, we’ve got to give them a 1968 kind of welcome.” In 1968, the Democratic Convention in Chicago was a bloodbath, with 600 arrests in one street battle that was broadcast all over the world. And the group that met here last Saturday, in the local headquarters of the Teamsters Union, wants to repeat history when Joe Biden is named the presidential nominee at the DNC this August. They oppose the president they call “Genocide Joe” for backing Israel in its war against Hamas. Over a single day, the “March on DNC 2024” conference gathered 75 organizations to discuss how they plan to disrupt the convention. Speakers told the crowd how to flood the streets without getting arrested, how to spot members of the Secret Service, and how to say “Death to America” in Farsi. At one point, when news of Iran’s attack on Israel spread throughout the room, the crowd erupted in cheers. One of those people doing the yelling and screaming is himself an elected official: Byron Sigcho-Lopez, a member of the Chicago City Council. An alderman on the leadership team of Democratic Mayor Johnson, Sigcho-Lopez was at the March on DNC 2024 conference. Sigcho-Lopez, an elected Democrat and self-described socialist, has agitated for resistance to the DNC before. Last month, he stood before a crowd at City Hall, calling for a “march on the DNC, with or without permits” (Free Press).